star-telegram.com: High Schools

Record-setting time close to Olympic standard

Mon, 12 May 2008 19:54 CDT

By STEFAN STEVENSON

AUSTIN – Fort Worth Dunbar sprinter Victoria Jordan’s 11.16-second in the 100-meter dash Friday at the UIL State Track and Field championships was historic on several levels. It was the fastest high school time in state history, beating the 11.21 mark of Killeen’s Tiffany Townsend in 2007. Jordan’s previous best was 11.43, set in the regional preliminaries two weeks ago.

Jordan’s record-setting 100 narrowly missed Marion Jones’ 1992 national high school record of 11.14.

She also narrowly missed the U.S. Track and Field A standard of 11.13 for the 2008 Olympic trials. She easily cleared the B standard (11.35). If there aren’t enough A standard marks in an event, then the best of the B standard performers are invited to compete.

Dunbar coach Jimyria Hicks said Jordan still is weighing her options.

“We’re going to meet Monday night and discuss her future,” Hicks said.

Jordan graduates this month but she hasn’t decided on a college or whether she wants to pursue track and field on a professional level.

Not resting on success

Mansfield’s Shade Weygandt won her third consecutive gold in the girls 5A pole vault Saturday but she hopes to do better at her next meet in June.

Weygandt wasn’t happy with her 13-foot winning vault because she cleared 13-7 at last year’s state meet and cleared 13-10, her personal best, at the regional championships two weeks ago.

“It’s hard for me to go backwards,” she said.

The junior was hoping to top her state record, which can only be set at the state meet. Weygandt strained her back a week before practice but insisted that wasn’t an issue at the state meet.

Weygandt is headed to the Great Southwest Classic at the University of New Mexico, June 5-7. The track meet, which is in its 33rd year, invites athletes invited from Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah.

Arlington man makes the calls

At certain moments during the state track meet, it looked as if there were more officials than athletes on the track.

John Pritchett of Arlington has been a meet official for 23 years. Pritchett, who turns 75 in July, is a retired Mountainview Community College professor who looks forward to the two 15-hour days each year. Pritchett is one of three announcers working the event. Pritchett announces every award-stand ceremony.

He also makes the rounds between event stations with a microphone. When something big is happening, Pritchett lets the crowd know.

The main announcer, Phil Ransopher, who has been working the state meet for 52 years, calls all the evening running events Friday and Saturday. Pritchett does pretty much everything else. “As long as my heath is good,” Pritchett said. “I’ll love doing it.”

Pritchett has also been announcing the TAPPS state track meet for 13 years. And when it doesn’t conflict with other duties, he calls the SPC track championships as well.

“I’m fortunate I get to do all these championships,” Pritchett said. “I get to see the cream rise to the top. It’s a lot of fun.”

Rain delay, wet track don’t deter Lowe

Eight teams left for third round

Mon, 12 May 2008 18:43 CDT

By DREW DAVISON

The area teams continue to dwindle as the high school baseball playoffs enter the regional quarterfinals this weekend. At the Class 5A level, three teams are left – Keller, Southlake Carroll and Fort Worth Paschal. At the 4A level, there are three teams, all from District 6-4A – North Richland Hills Birdville, Keller Fossil Ridge and Fort Worth Western Hills. And two teams left in 3A, Lake Worth and Kennedale.

Here’s a breakdown by class:

5A

Keller, Flower Mound have top-flight pitchers

It’s no secret that Keller has one of the top pitchers in the state in senior right-hander Kaleb Merck, who has committed to TCU. In fact, Southlake Carroll coach Larry Hughes said, “Merck is probably one of the best pitchers, if not the best pitcher, in the area.”

Merck will try and lead Keller past traditional power Flower Mound, which also has an ace in Brandon Parrent, who has signed with Dallas Baptist.

“Both teams are similar and have a lot of pitching depth and team speed,” Keller coach Rob Stramp said.

Keller got a boost offensively last weekend against Dallas Jesuit from No. 3 hitter Max Muncy, who had a pair of two-run home runs.

“We played OK against Jesuit, we didn’t swing the bat real well and struck out too many times but Max came through for us,” Stramp said. “I think we’ll be ready for Flower Mound though.”

The times and dates have not been settled upon yet, but Stamp said it will be a Thursday, Friday and Saturday series.

The last time the two teams met, Flower Mound knocked out Keller in 2004 in the regional finals. That year was the deepest Keller has gone under Stramp.

Panthers need better clutch hitting

Paschal defeated El Paso Franklin in three games. But they left 14 runners on base in Game 1, five in Game 2 and eight in Game 3.

“I had a meeting on Friday night about taking different approaches and we did a little better job on Saturday,” Paschal coach Stephen Smith said. “In practice this week, that’s what we’re going to focus on. We’re going to have the infield in and throw them actual pitches – breaking balls, fastballs and changeups – and not just batting practice.”

Smith had his team do a similar drill earlier this season and his team responded by winning six straight. Now, though, Paschal has its work cut out against Amarillo, a team that swept Weatherford.

Smith said Amarillo has two pitchers that throw in the mid 80s and a loaded lineup, especially the first four batters.

“Their two pitchers really believe in off-speed pitches and will throw them regardless of the count,” Smith said. “And those top four hitters may be the best we’ve seen all year.”

Paschal and Amarillo will play Friday and Saturday at Hardin-Simmons in Abilene. First pitch on Saturday is scheduled for 11 a.m. with Game 3, if needed, following 30 minutes after. The reason for the early game time Saturday? Paschal’s prom is that night.

Carroll vs. Coppell rematch

Carroll is facing the Coppell Cowboys, the team that knocked he Dragons out of the playoffs last season in the regional quarterfinals. Game 1 is on Thursday at 7 p.m. at Coppell, Game 2 is on Friday at 4 p.m. at Carroll and Game 3, if needed, is on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Colleyville Heritage.

SOFTBALL: Joshua reaps wins from adjustments

Mon, 12 May 2008 20:00 CDT
By ANGEL VERDEJO
A team’s success in a playoff series normally depends on making adjustments from the first game, to the second, and possible third contest.
Joshua did just that against Denton Guyer in the Class 4A Region I quarterfinals, even though the Lady Owls swept the series. Denton Guyer did a lot of bunting, especially in unorthodox situations, Joshua coach Traci Brooks said, which caught the defense off-guard and helped lead to four errors.
“They would bunt with two strikes,” Brooks said. “They would bunt with two outs. They would bunt with two strikes and two outs. We had to be prepared for that at all times and we weren’t used to doing that.”
The Lady Owls won the first game, but made the defensive adjustments for a 7-3 win in the second game. Joshua also made adjustments offensively, backing off the plate against Denton Guyer’s Kylee Crosek and sitting on inside pitches.
“It just shows the determination by our kids, in that they weren’t going to give up,” Brooks said. “My kids adjusted and did well.”
Joshua (29-7) faces Pampa (25-10) in the region semifinals in a best-of-3 series starting Thursday night at Burkburnett High School. Game two is at 2 p.m. Friday at Midwestern State in Wichita Falls.
Another one-gamer
Aledo, the nation’s third-ranked team, faces Wolfforth Frenship in a one-game playoff in the Class 4A Region I semifinals. The Ladycats had success this postseason in a best-of-three series (over Sherman) as well as in a one-game setting (over Saginaw), which normally is the less desirable choice in the playoffs.
The one-game favors a team with a standout pitcher, which Aledo has in senior Whitney Canion. The Baylor signee is 3-0 with two shutouts in the playoffs, and 27-0-1 for the year. Aledo is 8-1 in one-game playoffs, suffering its only loss to Cleburne in the 4A Region II final in 2006.
Aledo (33-1-1) and Wolfforth Frenship (20-13) play at 8 p.m. Friday at Abilene Christian. The Ladycats remain the top-ranked Texas team in the latest USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches Association Top 25 poll. Top-ranked Pembroke Pines (Fla.) lost the Florida Class 4A title game Saturday and finished 30-1. Second-ranked Sheldon (Calif.) finished the regular season with a 25-1 record and start its postseason run Tuesday in the California Interscholastic Federation.
Ready in relief
The Weatherford Lady Kangaroos already have an ace pitcher in Hannah Schnebly (19-8), who has four wins in the playoffs. Schnebly and Weatherford (26-10) haven’t lost since March, but what has helped them in the postseason is a capable second pitcher.
Jordan Wallace pitched 5 1/3 innings of shutout softball Saturday, leading Weatherford to a 1-0 win and sweep over nationally-ranked Lubbock Coronado in the Class 5A Region I quarterfinals. She also won the second game in the Lady Kangaroos’ sweep over Abilene in the bi-district round.
Weatherford, which has traveled to West Texas for the first three rounds in the playoffs, will stay local this weekend. The Lady Kangaroos face Flower Mound (26-7) in the region semifinals. The two play a home-and-home series, with the opener at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Weatherford and game two Friday night at Flower Mound.
Briefly
■ Northwest lost its 5A region quarterfinal series to Coppell on Saturday, the program’s earliest playoff exit since 2004. That season in the area round, the Lady Texans lost to White Settlement Brewer in a one-game playoff that went 17 innings and drew national recognition as Northwest’s Brittany Barnhill (then a freshman) and Brewer’s Brittany Turner (a junior) combined for 62 strikeouts. Northwest reached the Class 4A title game in 2005 and was a state semifinalist in 2006, both times after finishing third in district play. Last season – Northwest’s first in 5A – the Lady Texans reached the 5A region final.
■ Bethesda Christian reached Saturday’s TAPPS 3A state championship but fell to Hallettsville Sacred Heart 6-3. The Lady A’s, who reached the final after a semifinal win over Bullard Brook Hill, finished the season at 20-11.

Lowe hits high gear, wins mile

Sun, 11 May 2008 04:38 CDT
By Stefan Stevenson
AUSTIN -- Colby Lowe wasn't about to let his golden high school career finish with a silver sheen.
In the second-to-last race of a rain-delayed UIL State Track and Field Championships the Southlake Carroll senior was holding a sizeable lead in the 1,600-meter run until Magnolia's Michael Cook bumped him on the final lap. Suddenly, for the first time since his sophomore season, Lowe was in a dead heat at the state meet.
But the bump was just a wake-up call for Lowe, who hit another gear and tore down the final stretch for the victory with a time of 4 minutes, 6.87 seconds.
It was Lowe's second consecutive gold medal in the mile. Earlier, he won his third consecutive gold in the 3,200 with a time of 8:53.32. Lowe was .98 of a second behind the state record.
"There's not much else you could ask for," Lowe said. "I put a lot of miles and hard work into it."
Lowe led the pack by 10 yards until the final turn, when Cook caught him.
"That pushes you even harder," Lowe said. "That's what you like. I started changing speeds and flooring it and trying to get to that finish line as fast as possible."
Carroll finished sixth in the team standings with 23 points.
Vaulting to gold
Mansfield pole vaulter Shade Weygandt won her third consecutive gold medal, but she wasn't thrilled afterward. She cleared 13 feet for the title but failed on three no-pressure attempts to get 13-4. The junior set a state record last year by clearing 13-7. She cleared 13-10 at regionals, so topping out at 13 feet was hard to swallow.
"It's just really hard for me to go backwards in my progression," she said. "The third state meet in a row is good, but I hold myself to such high standards that to me this is really, really bad." Weygandt strained her back last week in practice but wasn't using that as an excuse. "My back was tender but it was good enough to go," she said. Keller senior Taylor Theodore finished fourth.
Sophomore medals twice
Arlington Sam Houston sophomore Alexius Hightower won the bronze in the long jump and the silver in the triple jump, her first-ever medals.
Hightower cleared 40 feet, 11 1/2 inches, but Whitney Rose of Pearland surprised even herself by jumping 41-10 3/4.
In the long jump, Hightower cleared 18 feet, 10 3/4 inches. Friendswood Clear Brook's Erica Alexander won the gold with a mark of 19-6 1/2.
Sprinter shines
Mansfield Timberview's LaKeidra Stewart took the silver in the 5A 100 with a time of 11:42. Erica Alexander of Friendswood Clear Brook won the gold (11.40). Stewart's teammate Richanda Hall, a sophomore, placed fourth with a time of 11.69.
Stewart finished with a bronze in the 200.
Both Stewart and Hall were part of the sprint relay, which finished fourth (46.11). Dallas Skyline took the gold with a mark of 45.74.
"I wanted the gold, but you've got to accept it," Stewart said.

HIGH SCHOOL LINESCORES, PAIRINGS, RESULTS

Sun, 11 May 2008 04:38 CDT

BASEBALL
Saturday's linescores
CLASS 5A REGION I AREA ROUND
El Paso Socorro 11, Summit 1 (6, Gm 2)

Socorro 024 032 -- 11 11 1

Summit 010 000 -- 1 7 2

Bobby Mares and Jessiray Navarrette; Ryan Behmanesh, Greg Shaw (6) and Hunter Rekieta. WP: Mares. LP: Behmanesh (6-2). 2B -- E: George Stoltz, Tavi Amparan, Gabriel Aguilar; MS: Hunter Rekieta. HR -- E: Aguilar, Navarrette. Records -- Soc. 33-2; Sum.: 23-9.
Flower Mound 2, L.D. Bell 1 (Gm 3)

L.D. Bell 000 001 0 -- 1 4 2

F. Mound 001 100 x -- 2 2 4

Bartsch, Worrell (5) and Lockwood; Asing, Smith (6), Parrent (7) and Lehman. WP: Asing. LP: Bartsch. 2B -- L: Fisher, Frost. Records -- L.D. Bell: 24-9; FM: 18-11.
Keller 12, Dallas Jesuit 1 (Gm 2, 5)

Keller 435 00 -- 12 10 0

Jesuit 000 01 -- 1 2 3

Kaleb Merck, Chris Pearson (3), Matt Rose (5) and Chris Larson ; Zack Walker, Nick Jans (3), Ryan Miller (3), Taylor Ryan (5) and Matt Shortall. WP: Merck (9-1). LP: Walker. 2B -- K: Slade Brown, Max Muncy, Jordan Stafford; J: Josh Bell. HR -- K: Muncy, Jordan Easom, Merck. Records -- Keller: 22-9; Jesuit: 16-14.
Keller 5, Dallas Jesuit 2 (Gm 3)

Keller 200 300 0 -- 5 8 0

Jesuit 020 000 0 -- 2 2 3

Kaleb Merck and Chris Larson; Jacque Degruy, Kyle Meinhardt (6) and Matt Shortall . WP: Merck (10-1). LP: Degruy. 2B -- K: Slade Brown, Merck, Jordan Stafford; J: Josh Bell, Jake Wyand. HR -- K: Max Muncy. Records -- Keller: 23-9; Jesuit: 16-15.
Paschal 5, El Paso Franklin 2 (Gm 2)

Paschal 100 012 1 -- 5 6 1

Franklin 100 001 0 -- 2 5 1

Geoffrey Davenport, Mike Medford (7) and Jose Garcia; Blanco, Silverthorn (6) and Payan. WP: Davenport (5-3). LP: Blanco. 2B -- P: Hoby Milner; F: Duarte. 3B -- P: Kirby Campbell. HR -- P: Jonah Johnston; F: Hinojos. Records -- Paschal: 25-8; Franklin: 23-9.
Paschal 11, El Paso Franklin 7 (Gm 3)

Paschal 504 000 2 -- 11 13 1

Franklin 003 202 0 -- 7 9 2

Tyler Nurdin, Mike Medford (5), Hoby Milner (7) and Jose Garcia; Haskins, Bramble (2), Duarte (6) and Payan. WP: Nurdin (7-1). LP: Haskins. 2B -- P: Geoffrey Davenport, Chris McCarthy; F: Hinojos 2, Bramble 2. 3B -- F: Barreras. HR -- P: Nurdin, Kirby Campbell, Jonah Johnston; F: Morales. Records -- P: 26-8; F: 23-10.
CLASS 4A REGION I AREA ROUND
Birdville 5, Southwest 0 (Gm 3)

Southwest 000 000 0 -- 0 2 1

Birdville 002 300 x -- 5 7 0

Ryan Hockman, Jonathan Finnegan (5) and Matt Hightower, Finnegan (4), Desmond Williams (5); Matt Cox and Duncan McAlpine. WP: Cox (4-1). LP: Hockman (6-1). Records -- Southwest: 24-7; Birdville: 26-8.
Western Hills 11, Joshua 7 (Gm 3)

Western Hills 211 520 0 -- 11 11 4

Joshua 101 100 4 -- 7 8 3

Josh Fabela and Todd Harlan; Stephen Elrod, Riley Waits (2), Austin Neal (5), T.J. McGough (5) and Cayden Cunniff. WP: Fabela (4-3). LP: Elrod. 2B -- W: Alex Hoeppner, Warren Schroeder, Dustin Hollar; J: Colton Turner. 3B -- W: Ryan Stuck. HR -- W: Matt Batts. Records -- Western Hills: 21-15; Joshua: 26-8.

Birdville pitcher carries baseball team to win over Southwest

Sat, 10 May 2008 17:08 CDT
By DREW DAVISON
NORTH RICHLAND HILLS -- The Birdville baseball team backed a near-perfect outing from its No. 3 starter, junior right-hander Matt Cox, against Fort Worth Southwest on Saturday afternoon.
Cox allowed three base runners -- none of which made it past first base -- in a complete-game, two-hit shutout, leading the Hawks past the Raiders 5-0 in the decisive Game 3 of the Class 4A Region I area round series at Birdville High School.
Birdville faces either Fort Worth Western Hills or Joshua in the regional quarterfinals.
"This was the best game I've pitched in a while," Cox said. "I was a bit wild with my command early in the season, but my command was a lot better [Saturday]. I could really spot my curveball."
Cox started the game by retiring the first seven batters. In the third inning, though, Southwest starter Ryan Hockman singled to right. Birdville catcher Duncan McAlpine threw him out when he tried to steal second base.
With that, Cox faced the minimum number of batters until he issued a leadoff walk in the sixth inning. He responded, however, by retiring the next three. In the seventh, Cox allowed his second hit of the game, to RaidersÕ right fielder Andrew Elkins. Again, Cox answered and ended the game facing 23 batters over seven innings.
"Matt has gotten progressively better all season," Birdville coach David Hatcher said. "We also played a lot better defense. That's how I like to see us play -- throwing strikes and playing good defense."
The Hawks did have some nice defensive plays, a day after committing a season-high five errors. In the fourth, third baseman Jarrett Casanova had a diving catch. In the seventh, shortstop Paul Hendrix made a nice play on a soft grounder and fired to first in time.
Offensively, Birdville scored two runs in the third, one on a Southwest error and the other on second baseman Robert Perrin's single. The Hawks extended the lead to five in the fourth with three runs, including an RBI single from Shane Ammon.

Athlete single-handedly wins 1A track team title

Sat, 10 May 2008 19:09 CDT

AUSTIN — Bonnie Richardson ran. She threw. She jumped.
And when it was time to hand out the team trophies, Richardson accepted the 1A team championship for Rochelle High School — by herself.
Richardson was the only Rochelle athlete to qualify for the state meet and stunningly won the team title. University Interscholastic League officials said it was the first time they can remember a single athlete winning a girls’ team title.
It’s happened before on the boys’ side, but not since former Baylor Bear and Pittsburg Steeler Frank Pollard did it for Meridian High School in the 1970s, said UIL Athletics Director Charles Breithaupt.
“This totally blows me away,” the freckle-faced Richardson said while holding the trophy with a gold medal draped on her neck. “This is amazing. I had no idea it was even possible.”
Richardson’s title march began with field events on Friday when she won the high jump (5 feet, 5 inches), placed second in the long jump (18-7) and was third in the discus (121-0).
On Saturday, she won the 200 meters in 25.03 seconds and nearly pulled off a huge upset in the 100 before finishing second (12.19) to defending champion Kendra Coleman of Santa Anna. Richardson, a junior, earned a total of 42 team points to edge team runner-up Chilton (36).
It was a good thing the 1A events were split over two days because Richardson said the heat — temperatures were in the high 90s both days — might have knocked her down. She laughed off a suggestion that could have won more if UIL rules didn’t limit individual participation to five events.
“I don’t think I could handle any more,” she said. “It was hot and I was tired.”
Many outstanding girls athletes have dominated state meets, but few cross over from the sprints to the field events with Richardson’s success, Breithaupt said.
“The way she did it is really impressive,” Breithaupt said. “A lady like that could be a heptathlete.”
Rochelle is about 85 miles east of San Angelo, and Richardson’s high school doesn’t even have a real track. The football field has a ring of caliche and grass around it.
So how does she train?
“Watch for potholes,” she joked. “We have a track about 10 miles down the road and train there usually.”
Richardson’s coach, Jym Dennis, suspected she could do something special in the team category, but didn’t tell her on the trip to Austin because he didn’t want to make her nervous.
“I was hoping she’d get a few gold medals to put her over the top and she did,” Dennis said. “She’s an amazing athlete. I think she could win a lot of events.”
As a sophomore, she competed in the high jump, long jump and discus. She won the long jump but didn’t medal in the others. On Saturday, she was surprised by her second-place finish in the 100.
“Kendra and I have been battling all year. I was amazed I stayed with her. I didn’t think I was that fast,” she said.
Richardson also plays tennis and led her basketball team to the state semifinals last season.
“I’d play football if my parents would let me,” she said. “Not quarterback. Defense.”

BASEBALL: Western Hills withstands Joshua to win series

Sat, 10 May 2008 21:24 CDT
By WILLIAM WILKERSON
With all the maneuvering to and from the mound that Joshua had to do, handing the ball over to four different pitchers, Fort Worth Western Hills junior Josh Fabela withstood a few mishaps but never budged when he was handed the ball as the starter.
Fabela struck out seven in seven innings and his teammates brought the lumber to send Western Hills to the Class 4A Region I quarterfinals with an 11-7 victory over Joshua at North Crowley on Saturday. The Cougars won the best-of-three area round series 2-1, winning Game 1 on Friday.
“He threw well last week and stepped up again this week on a senior-dominated team,” Cougars coach Bobby McIntire said. “Scoreboard looks a lot worse than the way he pitched because we made too many mistakes late. He started off a little rocky but settled in and did well.”
Staked to an 11-3 lead going into the bottom of the seventh inning, Fabela (4-3) was tagged for four runs on two infield errors and two hit batters. But he induced a foul pop out to third baseman Alex Hoeppner to end the threat and the game.
Western Hills (21-15) will face district foe Birdville next. The Hawks, District 6-4A champions, beat the Cougars both times this season.
“They are good and young,” McIntire said. “We can’t make these types of mistakes (four errors). They hit the ball so well. Pitching-wise we can match up with them.”
Western Hills got two hits and two runs in the first, including an RBI single from Warren Schroeder. Todd Harlan was hit with the bases loaded to bring the other run home. Joshua (26-8) got one back in the bottom half but that was as close as they’d come. The Cougars tacked on single runs in the second and third before unloading for five runs in the fourth. The game-changing blast came in the form of a three-run home run to left field from Matt Batts, which put Hills up 8-2.
Stephen Elrod was tagged with the loss. He pitched 1 1/3 innings.
Of Western Hills’ 11 hits, five of them were for extra bases. Hoeppner had one, a double, to drive in the third run. He was 2-for-2 with a walk, was hit twice, and scored twice. Ryan Stuck tripled in the fifth.
McIntire said after his team’s Game 1 win Friday that the winner of Game 2 normally has the edge in a best-of-three. He was wrong this time, but probably isn’t complaining.
“We really play better when we have something at stake,” McIntire said. “We lose our focus and are too relaxed. We play better when we’re tight and when things are on the line.”

BASEBALL, SOFTBALL: Fort Worth Paschal advances in baseball playoffs

Sun, 11 May 2008 00:52 CDT

Facing elimination in the Class 5A Region I area round, the Fort Worth Paschal baseball team took two games from El Paso Franklin on Saturday in Odessa, 5-2 in Game 2 and 11-7 in the deciding game.
Pitcher Tyler Nurdin, who hadn’t hit in a game in a month, belted a three-run homer in the first inning as the Panthers won Game 3. Paschal (26-8) will face Amarillo in the regional quarterfinals.
Kirby Campbell added a two-run homer in the third.
Geoffrey Davenport (6-3) struck out eight in 6 1/3 innings to earn the Game 2 win.
Flower Mound 2, L.D. Bell 1
Chris Asing struck out nine in 6 2/3 innings and gave up four hits as the Jaguars edged Hurst L.D. Bell (24-9) to win the Class 5A Region I series. Flower Mound (18-11) will face Keller in the regional quarterfinals.
Keller 12-5, Dallas Jesuit 1-2
Slade Brown and Kaleb Merck doubled during a three-run fourth inning as Keller broke a 2-2 tie in Game 3 to win the Class 5A Region I matchup. The Indians (23-9) will take on Flower Mound in the regional quarterfinals.
Max Muncy, Jordan Easom and Merck homered in the five-inning Game 2 win.
Amarillo 7, Weatherford 6
Weatherford (20-13) couldn’t make a four-run second inning hold up as it was swept in a Class 5A Region I area-round series.
El Paso Socorro 11, Mansfield Summit 1 (6)
The Jaguars (23-9) had seven hits but couldn’t put together a big inning against Socorro’s Bobby Mares as they lost the Class 5A Region I series 2-0.
Denton Ryan 3, Cleburne 2 (8)
Cleburne (28-10) outhit Denton Ryan 7-4 but gave up a run in the eighth to drop the decisive Game 3 in the Class 4A Region I area-round series.
SOFTBALL
Weatherford 1, Lubbock Coronado 0
Freshman Jordan Wallace pitched 5 1/3 innings of two-hit ball and struck out nine as Weatherford (26-10) won the Class 5A Region I quarterfinal series and advanced to meet Flower Mound in the regional semifinals.
The Lady Kangaroos’ No. 1 starter, Hannah Schnebly, came in to get the final five outs and register her third save.
Chelsea Lee scored Weatherford’s lone run in the third inning on a two-out, two-strike single by Megan Askew.

Flower Mound eliminates Colleyville Heritage in softball playoffs

Sat, 10 May 2008 16:58 CDT
By TOBIAS XAVIER LOPEZ
GRAPEVINE -- The power of the Flower Mound softball team finally overloaded Colleyville Heritage.
The Lady Jaguars slugged their way to a Class 5A Region I quarterfinal series victory with a 10-0 victory against Colleyville Heritage in six innings on Saturday.
Flower Mound closed the series after winning Game 1 on Thursday, falling to the Lady Panthers on Friday and then finally using its depth to wear out Colleyville Heritage on Saturday.
The Lady Jaguars (26-7-2) advanced to face Weatherford in the regional semifinals.
For Colleyville Heritage (27-13) the season ends with the accomplishment of setting a school record for victories and the program’s deepest playoff run since moving up to Class 5A.
“I’m proud of our girls,” Colleyville Heritage coach Lance Stephens said. “They’ve come a long way this year. In the fall Flower Mound’s JV beat this bunch. So that shows you how far they’ve come. Flower Mound’s ranked fourth in the state and we were able to beat them (on Friday) and that’s an accomplishment.”
Flower Mound’s pitching depth ultimately proved to be the difference in the series.
The Lady Jaguars threw senior Lauren Kennewell in Game 1, senior Dana Nathanson in Game 2 and then turned back to Kennewell for Game 3. Flower Mound relieved Kennewell on Saturday in the sixth inning with junior pitcher Ashley Rother.
Colleyville Heritage relied on the 15-year-old arm of freshman Kayla English, who threw every pitch in the series and in 38 out of 40 games this season.
English threw admirably through the series but understandably looked tired in the afternoon heat on Saturday.
Flower Mound scored leadoff home runs in the first, third and fourth innings. A seven-run inning in the fourth paved the way for the mercy-rule victory when the Lady Jaguars added the 10th run in the top of the sixth.
Offensively, Colleyville Heritage struggled, with two hits and five baserunners on Saturday.

star-telegram.com: High Schools

Record-setting time close to Olympic standard

Eight teams left for third round

5A

SOFTBALL: Joshua reaps wins from adjustments

Another one-gamer

Ready in relief

Briefly

Lowe hits high gear, wins mile

HIGH SCHOOL LINESCORES, PAIRINGS, RESULTS

Birdville pitcher carries baseball team to win over Southwest

Athlete single-handedly wins 1A track team title

BASEBALL: Western Hills withstands Joshua to win series

BASEBALL, SOFTBALL: Fort Worth Paschal advances in baseball playoffs

Flower Mound eliminates Colleyville Heritage in softball playoffs